Kedi Haralu
After many years of toils and snares, Dimapur town finally got the recognition it was due, thus the upgradation from a town Committee to a Municipal Council. It was like a dream come true, thus the willing investment of various candidates just to win a seat in the Municipal. Most of the members have not yet recovered the amount of money they had spent during the municipal elections. Then comes the issue of tool tax, which ward should get what? This to be done without bias is next to impossible.
The biggest drawback yet is not only these small tiny details, but much more complex, which the State Government failed to highlight before giving the green signal. The issue of leadership should have been cleared before the election and certain acts included in the Municipal Act. Why I say this, was, the first Chairman was unceremoniously removed and another member took his place. Unfortunately, before the new Chairman can prove his “salt” there has been a “No Confidence” motion against him. Is it not too early for such a move? Or is it because some member has not received good portfolios? Whatever the case, the past and the present Chairman are my friends, and as a well wisher I just pray that they solve their differences at the earliest, for apart from the Legislative Assembly, it is the Municipal.
If the members of the Municipal truly care about the welfare of their wards, one should concentrate on his ward and make it an example for other municipals to follow. As A public and a conscious citizen of Dimapur, we do not care who sits on the chair and Vice Chairman, but it is their ability and productivity that will count in the near future. Therefore it is only when the persons vying for the Chairman and V. Chairman, realize the fact that all are not born to lead but the majority is born to follow, thus if everybody wants to be the ruler who will they lead? It is all simple mathematics.
The Municipal should instead unite and fight for emergency funds, for till date Kohima has received mostly all the money sanctioned. What surprised me most was the fact that even the funds meant for “slum development” was allotted to Kohima. This is an insult to our intelligence for I grew up in Kohima, and I have never heard of a slum. If there is one, I would be rather grateful if it is openly identified. The Urban Ministry for the reason, best not known, has been alleged that it is diverting and channeling most of the funds to Kohima, thus the ill feeling towards the Ministry/department by the public of Dimapur. The term for the ruling DAN Ministry/Government is nearly over, but till today Dimapur has not enjoyed even the left over/morsels of the funds from Urban Development of the State. Although we shout and yell, Delhi cannot do much, since this party is a Regional Party and not a National one, thus they have nobody to answer to except the people of Nagaland, especially Dimapur.
Yes, the previous ministry had focused more on Dimapur then Kohima and also other district, but the trend of taking care of ones own backward should be a thing of the past, for Kohima cannot survive without Dimapur and Dimapur cannot survive without Kohima. It is a give and take policy, for Nagas are no more fully dependent on New Delhi as a welfare state, for times have change, mentality has changed plus even the politics gave changed. Dimapur is the only important gateway for economic development and enhancement, not only for Nagaland, but even Manipur. Thanks to the British we have a railroad and a postal system which is much more advanced then some other states, then we have air connectivity plus most important, business establishments where goods are sold as per the actual rate plus apart from VAT there is no Government tax except for the tax paid to our parallel Government. One thing I see a great change in the major faction in Dimapur, have been successfully running a parallel Government. Extortions have decreased and their form of taxing is more calculated, and the formation of its administrative set up is sometimes far better then the Indian Government. As a business man I pay my taxes, to the NSCN, for this is not a thing to hide, for everyone does it, but in times of need and difficulty, they are always available. It is only some illiterate, uncouth, small fry cadres who do things against the law, by way of harassment and extortion. But here again there is always a person in charge whom these cadres are accountable to, and those in charge are always willing to listen to your complaints. Whether any action is taken or not is not my look out, but it does make a person feel much better when someone patiently listens to his or her problems.
Why I say this is, it is very surprising that this form of parallel Government has been successfully practiced for so many decades now, and it is no where near ending, thus there must be a positive side to this form of Governance. I have come across many friends in in the National media, who ask me how this form of Governance is flourishing in these times of free economy and free ideas and views, but when I try to explain about the parallel Government, it is beyond their comprehension, since their mentality and value s are so different to ours plus our belief in the same God and His Divine teachings, makes us Nagas one entity and identity and our God is in no way bias, and all are treated equal. Although I cannot openly endorse the various factions, it is it is important to note that because of their presence the Indian Government is giving us much attention and we are in the Central Governments priority list, unlike other Northeastern States like Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal and Sikkim.
In conclusion, there should be nominees from every ethnic tribe, especially those which come under the category of backward tribes. Thus Communitization of Democracy should be considered and in the process selecting candidates from each tribe, which will bring unity and equality, and no tribe or community will feel left out. Thus eliminating the need for elections, which will mean less expenditure and less dirty politics. If this is successful, even the Legislative Assembly should reform to the same mode of Governance practiced in the Municipal Councils and Town Committees. One can take the electorates for a gala ride, but who, in their right senses will take the whole community or tribe for a ride? It is my belief that this is the only solution to our problems, be it in the assembly or municipality but unfortunately it is just an idea, a vision, a dream, and never a reality, since the Indian Government will never endorse such a setup, for it would become a blueprint for our Sovereignty. The turmoil/crisis in the DMC, which has been cropping up every now and then can be taken as a positive gesture, for it enables a person to conceive new ideas, thoughts and beliefs.
